You guys seem to really like my bullet journal posts – so I thought I’d keep going with them! I recently set out my spread for October and I really enjoyed the process. I hope you like it too!

My theme for this month was lavender, as it’s a pretty busy month for me, so I picked something easy to draw and accent with colour. Plus, it’s super calming and very pretty!

I kept my monthly goals and blog/book I’m currently writing trackers as I’ve done previously, and accented them with my purple crayola supertip and a little pot of lavender.

Again, if you’ve read my previous bujo posts, you’ll recognise this layout. It just works so well for me! I have the grid layout for keeping track of the days, a monthly overview and a finance tracker. I actually switched up the tracker this month to incoming/outgoing money as with an overseas trip coming up, I really need to get serious about saving!

This style of mood tracker and habit tracker worked so well for me last month, so I decided to keep it the same for this month. I love how colourful this page becomes!

I’m not entirely sold on this layout – I think it’s a bit too busy? I love the idea of the boxes, but maybe next time I won’t colour in the drop shadows. What do you think?

If you read one of my most recent posts – Life Update – you’ll know that I’m in a weird stage of soul searching, job hunting, and everything else that comes with the territory of being a millennial in 2017. One thing that I have always struggled with is a sense of purpose, and the finding of a dream life. This doesn’t just mean career, although that is very important (see: How To: Pick The Right Job For You). It means every facet of your life being exactly where you want it to be. What does it look like? How do you get there? Where do you even begin?

For most of us, a dream life may look something like being financially stable (or even wealthy), surrounded by friends and loved ones, contributing to society in a job that we love with lots of free time. For others, it may be something along the lines of being 100% plant based and sustainable. That’s the beauty of a dream life, it is particular to each and every person. Everyone has an idea of where they want to end up, even if it is just in one facet of their life (if you’re stuck, maybe look at what New Year’s Resolutions you set for yourself and you may realise you are looking for a healthier/more fulfilling/happier life in certain aspects), but the real question is, and excuse my French, how the fuck do I get there?

Well, for one, you may never get there. You have to accept that some things are entirely out of your control. But having a goal of what you want your life to look like and taking steps to achieve it can only make your life better, and who doesn’t want that?

Prioritise

If you aren’t prioritising making your dream life happen, you may not want it enough. Or, you may not realise that you want it enough. The first step to getting your dream life is making it a priority. Do that, and the rest seems worth the time.

Write It Out

Once you have prioritised that you want your dream life, write it out. Every minute detail, spend a couple of hours detailing exactly what you want. Then, once you have your future life story written, you can break it down into areas, then goals, then tasks. This makes the whole process seem not so daunting.

Visualise

Vision boards, pinterest, tumblr – get images behind your dreams. This will make them more appealing, realistic and tangiable to you.

Look

With your notes of your dream life and all of your visual materials, go over them. Look at them every day. Make them your wallpapers, stick them above your desk, save in your phone to read on the bus. The more you immerse yourself in the life you want, and then visualise yourself living that life, the more likely it is that it will happen.

Tiny Tasks

Take small steps every day to work towards goals that add up to your dream life. Add these small things to your to do list each day, and make sure that daily you are working towards it. You can visualise all you want, and this really does help, but you need the hard work to back you up when push comes to shove. Be small, and be realistic. Just head down, and keep going.

Tip: don’t get caught up in the hype of fancy new notebooks, self-help books, etc. Your dream life is an internal thing and is realised within. You don’t need external stuff to make that happen. Sometimes we get a sense of what we think is achievement, but really it’s just fancy procrastination. You know when you want to get fit so you reward yourself before you start with active wear? Yeah. Same shit.

Sundays are a very underutilised day. Often used to nurse a hangover or binge the latest season of Geordie Shore (which sucks without Holly, btw), this is a whole day before the working week that you can used to your advantage. Ever wanted to wake up on a Monday morning and feel completely ready for the week ahead? That’s how I feel every Monday, and it all starts on the meek day of Sunday.

1.Write a List

This is perhaps the most important step of the day, as without a list, your day will have no direction for the day. I like to use a similar method to Kalyn Nicholson’s GYST day, and include cleaning, planning, self care and relaxing. That way, I wake up on Monday feeling super refreshed. If you get up, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and write out your list first thing, you’ll be super inspired to get on with the day and make it work for you.

2. Cleaning

This doesn’t have to take all day, but get the boring cleaning and household admin out of the way first up. Put things away, make your bed, wash your sheets & clothes, wipe down the counters, sweep, mop and vacuum, dust and water your plants. Blast some music and just get it done. There is honestly nothing better than a clean space, so do it first and keep your inspiration for the rest of the day.

3. Planning

I use this time to plan out my meals and do my groceries, as well as to meal prep. I love having all my meals sorted for the week ahead, whether that means they are cooked, the ingredients are simply prepped or even just my snacks are bought and in the cupboard. It definitely helps me out for the rest of the week. I’ll also go through my bank account on my computer (not on the app) and sort out my finances for the week ahead, and put out what I want to wear the next day, as well as group my outfits in my wardrobe for the rest of the days of the week.

4. Workout

This may not be for everyone, but I for one like to carve out some time on a Sunday to get in a workout or at the very least do a big walk around the block. Getting moving and getting outside will help clear your head of the mundane activities you’ve just done and get you ready for the next part of the day.

5. Self Love

I wish I had a bath, but you can definitely show yourself a bit of self-love without one. Take some time to shave, tan, wash your hair, full body moisturise, do a face mask and a pore strip. Do all the things that you forget/don’t have time to do throughout the week, and go into Monday feeling fresh.

6. Creativity

By this point in my Sunday, I’m ready to me winding down. So, instead of bingeing something on Netflix, I like to use my creativity for a good purpose. I create and fill out my Bullet Journal spread for the week ahead, do some writing or photography for my blog or book. Even just half an hour of getting my creativity flowing helps my mental state more than I could explain.

7. Relaxation

When Sunday is coming to an end and night is upon you, this is a good chance to do a guided meditation or some yoga, call a loved one, light some candles and treat yourself. Sometimes I like to make myself something a little extra-special for dinner, read a book or watch a movie. By the time I’m ready for bed, I’m in a freshly-sheeted bed in clean pj’s, full tummy and fresh hair and body. It makes waking up on Monday a world easier when everything that stresses you out has already been done.

God this year is flying by! I genuinely am a bit concerned with how quickly it all is passing. To celebrate, here are some things I’ve been loving through August!

GOT S7

Could it really be an August faves without including this?? I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed with the season and am even more mad we have to wait two years for the next, but I am happy Dany & Jon finally got it on, incest and all.

Aroma Diffuser & Essential Oils

I picked up this diffuser from Kmart for $15 – what a bargain! I’ve been really into filling it with gorgeous scents (as you can see from the photo below, it’s primarily Lavender and Sweet Orange) and letting it light up the room and make it smell beautiful. I also really like watching the steam curl out from the spout, it’s super relaxing.

Mayer’s Peanut Butter

Random, I know, but I’ve been weirdly obsessed with this Peanut Butter?! Coming from someone who will eat an entire pot of Kraft PB if you’ll let them, this is a much better for you option that tastes almost identical to me. I really dig it.

Silver Drop Earrings

I have been really into wearing plain silver studs in my second piercings and silver drops in my lower ones this month. I switch between both of these pairs – the wishbones are from Tree of Life and the pearl ones are from a boutique.

Constellation Myths

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I’m obsessed with mythology, especially Greek myths. My best friend got me this book for my birthday in June and I’ve been obsessed! I love stars and constellations, and this book explains all of them, how they create famous Greek figures and the myth that accompanies them.

Ouran High School Host Club

I recently re-watched this anime and I forgot how much I loved it! If you are new to anime I think this is a good place to start, as it’s super funny, meta and pretty off the cuff. I love it!

I am l o v i n g working on my bullet journal every month and setting it all up! This month I copied Amanda Rach Lee‘s theme of succulents and I am digging it! Let me know what you think 🙂 I used most of her pages as inspo but twisted it to fit what I need!

This is my title page! I absolutely love it and had a heap of fun colouring it in. I used Crayola SuperTips as my accent colours this month, with primarily greens and a hint of maroon. I have my title on the left, my monthly goals on the right and two mini trackers – one for growing my blog and one for writing my second novel. I have actually left my full-time job so now I am focusing all my time on these two projects 🙂

I wrote ‘September’ in calligraphy on a white label and stuck it over top of the succulents to make it pop some more!

This is my monthly layout and expense tracker, which I like to keep quite simple. I have my appointments and events written in a list form with the monthly calendar above so I can see my days at a glance. For my expense tracker, this month I went with an essential and non-essential list so that I can monitor what I really need to be spending.

Next up are my trackers, which I switched up this month. I love this wheel! And I love how colourful this page will get when I get going with it.

And finally, my weekly spread. I used the extra space for random jotting down things I think of, but have kept to my preferred weekly method of a week to a page with weekly goals. I have also gone through and highlighted events, appointments and clients in different colours since I took this photo.

I feel like I’m really starting to get the hang of this whole bujo thing! I find it so much fun!

I am such a YouTube fiend it’s not even a joke at this point, but recently I’ve discovered some new faves, rediscovered some old, and just generally been loving the lifestyle/minimalism/bujo channels. If you like similar stuff, check out the below! Of course, there are so many not included in this list that I still love, but these have just been my priorities to watch recently – all hyperlinks will open in a new window!

You can always do something better than you have before, the key is simply to change your approach. The most successful and happiest people are constantly and consistently finding and implementing ways to improve themselves. If you are truly happy with where you are, 100%, then don’t read. But I’d guess you’re lying. There is always something you can do better.

Do Something New Every Day

In this day and age, there is basically no excuse for you not to be consistently improving yourself. We have so much content out there for us to consume at any point in time. No longer are we constrained to lectures, classes and physical books, but we have YouTube videos, TV shows, eBooks and Podcasts ready for us to watch/read/listen to at any point of the day. Try and aim to experience one new thing per day in order to learn, be it read an article or chapter, listen to a podcast or simply watch a new episode of a TV show. Do something that day you never have before and your brain will relish the new information.

Ask for Feedback

One of the biggest ways people fall short in improving themselves is to not ask for feedback. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes, we’re so often told, as long as we learn from them. So why aren’t we learning all the time? There is nothing stopping you from asking those around you how you could be kinder/smarter/more consistent in the same way you meet KPIs at work. Take a moment to seek feedback from your nearest and dearest and try to meet those new goals.

Edit, Edit, Edit

When it comes to receiving feedback, the next step is to improve based on that feedback. Constantly editing yourself is the only way to do this; do you think a book is written without an edit? You need to apply the same methodology to yourself in order to move forward, and be dedicated to making small but consistent edits in yourself to improve and become who you really want to be.

Listen More Than You Speak

It becomes so easy for us to be lost in our minds, our thoughts, our headphones, our next point to be made, looking the best in any situation. For once, mindfully and actively seek to listen. This doesn’t just mean in conversations, but listen to the world. The sounds around you. People’s conversations with each other. You will be surprised how much inspiration you find and the things you can learn from others and simply opening your ears.

Surround Yourself With People You Aspire To Be Like

A pro tip for becoming more aligned with your dream life is to be surrounded by people who you want to be like. When you are enveloped in their successes, you are inspired to try harder for yourself. This then goes back to the feedback point – if you want to be like these people, seek their feedback and see what they would do differently. Implement those changes that need to be made and find yourself improved.

Read Every Day

Bill Gates reads 50 books a year. I heard that once, and it stuck with me. Just pick up a fucking book. Read it. Reading improves your vocabulary, your knowledge, your ability to visualise, your creativity, your ability to form an argument – the list is endless. Read a paragraph if a chapter is too much for your tired mind at the end of the day. Read a buzzfeed article at lunch. Just. Fucking. Read.

Go To Free Classes

There are a plethora of free classes available at any given time – from yoga, to self-defence, writing, pottery, floristry, you name it. I know I said before that you don’t have to go to a physical class as you can learn most stuff online, and that is absolutely true as well. Physical classes, however, might help you meet some of those people you aspire to be like, and seek their feedback – and so the circle continues around. It’s a balancing act of physical and digital learning, which is all learning nonetheless and impreative to improvement. Google what’s on in your area and just go to something. Meet some new people and enrich yourself. Hey, if it turns out to be a complete waste of time/utter disaster/what the hell was I thinking I can’t do this type of thing, at least you have a good story to tell.